A figuração feminina nas obrasOo cortiço e Luzia-homem

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the characters Bertoleza and Luzia, respectively present in the novels O Cortiço, written by Aluísio Azevedo and first published in 1890, and Luzia-Homem, by Domingos Olímpio, whose first publication occurred in 1903, aligning the interpretation of these characters to the literary (Candido, 1965, 1991, 2015; Sodré, 1965; Xavier, 1998), historical (Barros, 2001; Perrot, 2012; Bonacchi and Groppi, 1995), sociological (Schwarz, 1999; Reis, 1987; Souza, 2017), comparative (Carvalhal, 2006; Nolasco, 2011; Nitrini, 2012) and patriarchal (Lerner, 2019; Costa, 2019) contexts. 1999), among others. The reflections in this work seek to establish parallels between fictional and plausible elements, focusing on the black and enslaved woman (Bertoleza) and the poor and northeastern woman (Luzia), who occupy the margins of Brazilian society, evaluating them from the perspective of issues related to gender and race stereotypes and power relations between the oppressed and the oppressors in dialogue with historical-social concepts. Based on naturalist assumptions, this research observes and analyzes literature's role in the social context. Thus, through literary, historical, and sociological mapping, the analysis focuses on the female figuration of Bertoleza and Luzia, highlighting the similarities and differences in the social and literary bias by comparing their trajectories within the social and cultural conditions of Rio de Janeiro and Sobral. It was understood that, by highlighting female figures such as the black and enslaved woman (Bertoleza) and the poor and northeastern woman (Luzia), there is not only the representation of a crucial moment in literary history (marked by strong patriarchal and ethnic influences) but also the emphasis on novels strongly marked by social criticism.